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September 21, 2014

Today's collection of pieces sent in by Sassy Feet fans ranges from simple to elaborately distressed to fabulously elegant. Whether you paint and embellish your shoes, bags, and clothes to get the color you want, bring new life to old favorites, or make a fashion statement, we'd love to see what you are up to. Send your pics along to me, margot@sassyfeet.com.

Sometimes the simplest changes can be the most satisfying. "I wanted to send a quick note and a picture of my "new" shoes thanks to your video!" Candy wrote. "Because I have neuromas in BOTH feet, I am extremely limited to what kinds of shoes I can wear without being in pain. I am so thrilled to not only have these shoes in black [not pictured], but now brown as well! THANK YOU!"

One of the interesting things about these sandals is that they are made of two very different types of material, what looks like suede or faux suede and a V of stretchy fabric. The paint adheres nicely to both.

Earlier this summer, Jill sent us this collage showing her black clogs, which she first painted all over with Metallic Bronze, then added beautifully freehand and overlapping circles in Neopaque Black. Painting the trim black added a really nice touch, too. I want to try doing this type of pattern. It looks fairly forgiving....

You need a little context to figure out what you're seeing in these photos. Think black jeans that fit a 6'2" crafter, laid over the arm of a chair to get their picture taken. Abbas wrote that for the pair on the left, he brushed on Metallic Silver, Lumiere's Super Sparkle, and black fabric paint. On the right-hand pair, he used Metallic Gold, Bright Gold, Brass and black. I love that he used metallic paints to get a "distressed" look, and I bet these jeans look AMAZING on his long, long legs!

When Tonya first sent me a photo of these heels to ask a question about using glue on a tiny part of the project, I was blown away! I couldn't figure out how she had painted such an amazing rich metallic pink. Turns out, she covered the shoes and the bottom of the bag with fabric that had the metallic pattern printed on it. Tonya is the owner of I Adore Shoes, a custom shoe company based in Mississippi.

I love the creative touches of the crystals down the heel, the charm hanging from the trim running around the top of the heel, and the faux lacing with black satin ribbon up the back of the shoe (click on the picture to enlarge it so you can see that detail).

September 15, 2014

It's been way too long since we shared some of the photos of the terrific shoes, bags and even an iPad cover that our fans have been sending. As you will see below, some are simple, some are very fancy, and all are products of imagination -- and determination! Next week we'll show you a second installment with some astonishing jeans and super beautiful high heels.

Lena sent us this collage of some well-loved and well-worn shoes that she color blocked and then painted with pearly white flowers and curving green vines. She said she did a base coat of Pewter then painted the big flower with Halo Violet Gold. The leaves are Metallic Olive and the white flowers are Pearl White. Then she added a little yellow on the vines and some purple on the flowers to give them more dimension. The heel is done in Metallic Bronze with a Metallic Olive half-moon trellis design that almost looks like fish scales. Finally, everything got two coats of sealer.

Nancy wrote in to show us a project she did with a white leather iPad cover that had gotten dirty. She prepared the surface, then used Pearl Emerald paint and Swarovski crystals to transform it. She made the swirls using a technique she saw me use in an ASG class I taught years ago. Using a fan brush, she put a bit extra paint on and made the pattern by pressing the brush onto the surface. "It took extra long to dry," Nancy said, "but it was so worth the time! I think the swirls make all the difference!" (I do, too. I'm going to have to try that again myself sometime.)

Nancy's final great idea was to get some stick-on crystals already formed into her initials and use The Ultimate glue to stick them down. As she told me, "Just because the crystals come with their own glue, you don't have to use it!"

All this vintage Etienne Aigner shoulder bag needed, said Miss Cherries Orchard, "was a little steampunk." Thus the pith helmet, goggles and handlebar mustache! She also did something you might like to try yourself -- she used the original reddish brown color of the leather as one of the main colors in her design. She painted broad stripes in what looks like True Gold, then used one coat of Pearl White with the more opaque Neopaque White for the pith helmet. I think the goggles and 'stache are Metallic Bronze. The blue piping that POPS so beautifully is done with a careful application of Pearl Blue.

The last DIY shoes from our fans that I'll show you today (more coming next week) are from Vickie, a watercolor artist and teacher who paints shoes for herself, her granddaughters. She emailed this note along with the photos.

"On the manmade leather zebra combat boots, I was unable to use the stencil I purchased even though it was very nice and thin. This was due to the curve of the boot. So I prepped boot with acetone and hand drew the zebra pattern, using the stencil for reference. Then I painted the stripes. Last winter I gave them to my 13-year-old granddaughter -- who hates any type of shoes or boots and only likes flip flops (we live in Michigan and you can't wear flip flop in minus 25 degree weather). She opened the box and went nuts over them! I was happy with that one."

"I also did a couple of pairs of black Mary Janes with Crimson Lumiere and Really Red Glitter It glaze for my younger granddaughters. I bought hair bows, took the clips off the backs, and re-glued the center wrap on them. Then I sewed them on with Fireline and a leather needle. The girls love the sparkle and it does not come off on them, as some of the sparkles from their cheap store-bought glittered shoes did."

September 09, 2014

I know Margot and I are always painting, clipping, stitching, gluing, tying, and re-fabricating various elements of the shoes we create. In all of our many posts, we've only given this fairly simple transformation a footnote in our bible of DIY shoes. Shoelaces! What could you really do with a 1/4" strip of fabric? Oh, let me show you.

The easiest shoe lace transformation is to replace them. If the shoelaces aren't "load bearing" you can use lengths of decorative ribbon. If the laces are imperative to keeping the shoe closed tightly, use something a little heavier that can withstand the pressure of walking. Buy an extra couple yards of whatever you want to use so you can replace it when and if it gets ragged.

Oh, and the little nibs on the end, the aglets, can be created very inexpensively by using some heat-shrink tubing around the end of your ribbon. It comes in a multitude of colors and sizes. You can also wrap heavyweight matching thread around the ends of the laces, then dab fabric glue all around so it stays put.

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The next way you can fancy-up your laces is with paint. Dilute your favorite color of Lumiere or Neopaque with about 25% water, and "dye" your boring laces fabulous. You can do something simple and just make them one solid color, or you can add a few colors to spice it up.

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Many of you are also sewing pros, so the last technique I'm going to discuss today is decorative stitching. To do this, use topstitching thread in the bobbin and the needle. Be sure to also use a topstitching needle, which has a bigger eye that makes it easier to thread. It also helps prevent the thread from fraying and breaking. Then run your shoelace through your machine using one of its built-in decorative stitches. Depending on how fancy your machine is, the range of patterns can be incredibly large.

What's more, it isn't all about what you do TO those laces. It's also about what you do WITH those laces! Try one of these cool lacing patterns from Lifehack.org!

Don't be afraid. Try something fancy with those laces. They can do a lot more than hold the sides of your shoes together!

August 25, 2014

Margot and I always look forward to the first weekend in August. It's a lot of work, but the reward surpasses the energy expended. We get to teach eager costumers, feast our eyes on all manner of expertly sewn costumes, exchange ideas with other skilled artisans, and plain get inspired. This year's Costume College was no exception.

After loading the car (upper left), setting up the booth (upper right), eating "the lobster roll" at the host hotel (a Marriott) I had been dreaming about all year long (bottom left), and basking in the glory of a job well and speedily done (bottom right), we freshened up and got ready to sell our wares.

This year we decided to try a new type of class to teach. Usually, we introduce our students to the craft by showing them how to paint a pair of shoes, or a handbag, from start to finish. This crowd is so advanced they already know how to do that.

The January before the show, I talked Margot into a techniques class instead. "It'll be easy," I said, "We only have to discuss certain techniques rather than a start-to-finish kind of thing. We have everything already." She agreed and stuck me in the driver's seat.

As they say, the devil is in the details, so I picked four techniques I thought this crowd could actually use: Antiquing with paint, Margot's faux spectator shoes, faux embroidery on suede, and tips for mixing custom colors. To accomplish this, four mini kits with specialty supplies needed to be prepared for 20 students. If you do the math it looks roughly like 4 different kits x (3 or 4 items in each kit) x 20 students = Don't let Destiny have any more bright ideas. I'm joking, mostly. It was a lot of prep time, but this crowd is TOTALLY worth it.

I was more nervous about how it would be received. I had never taught anything but a how-to class aimed at beginners. And up until then, I had only been Margot's assistant. I thought for sure I was gonna bomb my first lead performance. Like most other milestones in my life, my nerves were unfounded. The group was great. The class went smoothly. And we got to impart some intermediate-level shoe knowledge.

One of our students, Pamela, from Seattle showed us the AMAZING shoes she created to go with one of her costumes (photos above on the left). She made them on the way to Costume College. Let me say that again, she made them ON THE WAY TO COSTUME COLLEGE. They are completely mind-blowing. Not only did she make fabulous shoes and marvelous costumes, but created the most epic hat I saw all weekend. (It was also the biggest hat at the event!) She said it is in six parts and has to be assembled. STELLAR!

Margot and I also introduced two new products at Costume College this year.

The Sassy Feet! Mixable-Colors Kit of Neopaque Paints contains the 5 basic shades you need to mix any color, a visual mixing guide with recipes for mixing 18 different colors, including neutrals, PLUS advice on how to mix custom colors, and a 2 oz. bottle of clear acrylic sealer for adding extra protection and bringing a bright shine to the surface of your painted areas. The more coats, the shinier your finish will be. Over the BLACK paint, 3-4 coats will make your shoes or bag look exactly like patent leather!

The Sassy Feet! Fabri-Kit includes two tutorials on two different techniques for covering shoes with fabric, a bottle of the clear-drying flexible glue we recommend for attaching fabric to shoes of leather, man-made leather or fabric, a mini silicone gluing and craft mat, six mini-clamps for holding fabric in place while the glue sets up, and tailor's chalk for marking the fabric before you cut.

August 14, 2014

We've been gone at Costume College (more on that in another post) and are just now recovering our energy! It's a huge event for us -- we start by stocking up on products, inventing some new ones, preparing to teach SIX different topics (long story), planning our booth, and packing the cars -- and that's all before spending three days there!

Anyway, we are back and blogging again, and something someone there said to me got me thinking about why Destiny and I do what we do. Maybe I should say, why I do what I do (that is, Sassy Feet). I mean, it's not hugely profitable and it takes a lot of energy and requires fearsome attention to detail. So... why?

I'll answer that in two parts. First, consider this story.

Watercolor of St. Paul’s Cathedral by Thomas Hosmer Shepherd

In 1666, the Great Fire of London destroyed most of that city and tragically reduced its venerable Old St. Paul’s Cathedral to charred timber and rubble. The famous architect Sir Christopher Wren was hired to design a new church. After many plans and revisions, construction finally began in 1677. Thomas Strong, Wren's master stonemason, laid the first stone of the new cathedral.

Wren’s innovative plan for the dome of St. Paul’s

One day Sir Christopher was surveying the progress the men were making. He stopped at one stonecutter and asked him what he was doing.

“I’m cutting blocks of stone,” the man said, a bit testily. “Each one the same size as the next. And the next. And the next. Every bloody stone just exactly the same.”

Sir Christopher wisely moved on. He approached a second stonecutter and asked the man what he was doing. “Why, I’m earning a living to feed my family,” he replied, apparently puzzled that anyone, least of all the boss, should need to ask.

Then Sir Christopher spotted a third stonecutter, very intent on his work. “What are you doing, good sir?” asked the architect.

The man looked up at him. He was covered with stone dust and his hands were heavily callused. He looked tired, but he looked satisfied, too.

“I am building a monument to the glory of God,” he said.

* * *

There are also three reasons why I paint and embellish shoes and bags. The first is simply that it is really, really fun to do! It demands both creativity and ingenuity ("How the heck are we going to attach this swathe of chain maille to that boot?"). It enables me to play with color, which I love, and experiment, which I also love. So the first reason is a personal one.

The second reason is interpersonal: I love sharing what I've discovered with other people. One Sassy Feet customer recently wrote us: "My shoes look great! This paint has been a true lifesaver on shoes that I thought were ruined. I am absolutely thrilled!!" Another woman said our Sassy Feet book was "inspirational" and "full of fabulous photos. I am losing sleep, thinking of what I can do to another pair of shoes in my closet!"

The third reason is what you might call transpersonal: It reaches into the spiritual side of human existence. My happiest moment in the past eight years of doing shoes came during Costume College when a women came up to me after my slide show and said, "You've opened a world of wonder to me!"

I could see in her eyes that she wasn't just referring to shoes. She was talking about discovery, imagination, and transformation. She was talking about the question that sets in motion every wonderful invention and daring adventure: "Why not?"

Which is almost exactly what I thought back in August 2005 when I read the fine print on a bottle of Lumiere paint and saw that it could be used on leather. "Leather?" I thought. "Then why aren't people painting shoes??"

July 22, 2014

Embroidered suede and velvet is so classy, elegant, and feminine. The above black velvet heels, named Gypsy Rose, were created by Caroline Groves of London and embroidered by master needleworker Alice Archer. Undoubtedly, they cost a metric tonne of GBP (a boatload in USD) to own -- and worth every penny!

Don't have a boatload of dollars lying around? I'll show you a much thriftier way to emulate this effect by using leather paints. (You'll have to find the antique sterling silver buckles yourself....)

We had an offensively pink pair of suede booties that just begged for our transformative touch stuffed in the back of the stash closet. We really loved the shape, but that was about all we loved. They needed something and quick!

Margot dyed them a rich, dark purple. We learned a long time ago that painting suede all over with Lumiere or Neopaque is not optimal, as the paint plasters down the soft, supple nap. However, using leather paints to create a design, like little flowers or vines, yields wonderful results.

Because the painted areas are a little stiff (not soft like the suede), there's a visible difference in texture. At first glance, everyone always mistakes this colorful texture for embroidery stitches.

My two preferred tools in this technique are the smallest brush in our brush pack and a few toothpicks. To create flowers, you dip the bristles into the paint, and lay the brush sideways to create each petal. To create curling filigree, I dip a toothpick into paint and apply with a stippling motion, like a sewing machine. (I described how to do this in an earlier post on painting toddlers' shoes.)

Speaking of sewing, you can also use this tequinique to create faux stitching lines. Just do the stippling technique in a broken line instead of a solid, curving one.

A little bit of effort and imagination is all it takes to get your own pair of (faux) embroidered suede beauties. No one will know they didn't cost you an arm and a leg.

July 21, 2014

I have been offline, blog-wise, for several weeks now, coping with some family health issues, but I haven't been offline shoe-wise. In fact, painting and embellishing shoes lifts my spirits a lot. Here is the first of three projects I did in the past two months.

These red Dansko sandals were what I wore to my wedding on a slightly shabby community center deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean ten years ago. Since that time they have faded and the chunkiness of their thick soles had started to turn me off.

What to do with them? My eyes were drawn to the embossing on the upper strap and I was reminded of how much fun it is to rub paint onto the textured areas of leather or faux leather. (See my article in the Autumn 2013 issue of Altered Couture for a good example.)

I also wanted to try out some new Metallic Copper stamping ink from StazOn. Those two impulses met, liked the look of each other, and set me to work on satisfying their urges.

I decided to completely change the look of the sandals by dramatically changing their color. I started by painting both the straps and the red insole with Neopaque Black. Then I took some Sunset Gold paint from the Lumiere line and rubbed it lightly over the embossing using a paint rag wrapped tightly around my index finger.

The results you get with this technique are SUPER classy! Of course, it doesn't work perfectly the first time. I did some back and forth, rubbing and dabbing on some black in the areas that had gotten too gold, and then going back with a bit more Sunset Gold. Finally I used the tiny paint brush from our brush set and filled in a few of the depressed areas with some black details.

Last of all, I got out my little bottle of StazOn Metallic ink in Copper. (This is one of the few kinds of inks that will adhere to the rubbery soles you get on some Danskos and the rubber toes and soles of sneakers.)

I poured some in a little dish and got out a fan brush that I reserve for using with ink. (You can clean the brush with StazOn Stamp Cleaner, but the brush will remain a bit stiff -- not good for using with Neopaque or Lumiere.)

I brushed on a couple of coats, letting it dry in between -- and voila! A coppery sole to go with coppery-gold tones on the embossing.

They turned out so well that my wife, Erin, dug her wedding sandals out of the back of the closet and asked if I would re-do them. I'll show you those pics next time!

June 25, 2014

A birthday is a personalized celebration that only comes around once a year. One of the most rewarding benefits to being a highly creative person is being able to use that power for good, especially when birthdays are concerned. I love making birthday presents. I also love surprises. I got to mix both for Margot this year!

When Margot's wife, the amazing mixed-media artist, Erin Perry, clued me in on a pair of hand-painted TOMs on Etsy (by SomethingFromTheSun) that had Margot drooling, a plan hatched. Erin surreptitiously purchased a pair of TOMs and passed them off to me to do "the dirty work," so to speak. I was thrilled about the project!

I grabbed a brush pack and pulled out the small round brush and the small square tipped brush, since I'd only be painting detail-rich images. I shook the paints well and used the inside of all the lids as many mini pallets. I applied the paint in layers, mixing on the brush as I went. I didn't really rinse until after an area was complete. Click on the photo below to see this technique in action.

Alternating between Violet + White to make a cluster of flowers

I know this project is a little bit more advanced than we usually blog about. We like to keep most of our posts attainable for DIYers of all levels because we want to share our knowledge with you and have it be successful.

But, when it's a co-conspiritor's birthday, and you're the one who "paints-things-that-look-like-things" (as Margot always calls me) in the duo, you go all out! She deserves the very best!

PS - When Erin and I presented these to her at her birthday BBQ, her jaw dropped when she unwrapped them. She was already over the moon before she looked at me incredulously and squeaked, "Wait... You PAINTED these!?"

All I could do was laugh and say, "UM! DUH! Of course!" It's nice to know I can still surprise her on occasion, even seven years later. Happiest of Birthdays to you, Margot!

June 02, 2014

On many occasions (like here, and here, and here, and also here), Margot and I have urged you to send us pictures of all your wonderful creations. We aren't kidding. We love seeing what you make. And we love SHARING what you make even more. Our creativity is sparked when we see what others have created! Check out a few of the more recent DIY designs readers have sent in.

Recently we got an email from Angela S., who took one of our S.F. Bay Area classes. She started with an olive green, -- I mean olive DRAB green -- Fossil clutch that was screaming for an upgrade. She chose an all-over coat of a single color, Pearl Blue (right).

This is an excellent example of simplicity. You don't need an elaborate design or fancy pattern to upcycle your bag. Just select a color you love and start there.

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Next we received an email from Stephany C. She told us about a well-loved pair of Uggs that had served her faithfully through quite a few Chicago winters. Sadly, they sacrificed their good looks protecting her!

The resulting color matches the heel and binding PERFECTLY, and I love the muted, industrial feel that the gunmetal added. Great product too; nothing is worse than glitter clump (the kind that Mod Podge tends to create), and I had zero problems with Glitter It! I'm confident it will hold up, too."

Stephany is 100% right -- Mod Podge is NOT good for glittering shoes or sealing them! It is not flexible after it dries, so when the shoe bends, the coating of Mod Podge tends to crack.

* * *

The last (but nowhere near least) fan pic of the day is from Cherries Jubilee. We've published her steampunk shoes before (just type her name in the search box at the top of the page if you're interested). This time she gave her vintage Ettiene Aigner bag a little dose of steampunk.

I'm going to end this post the same way I end all our fan spotlights - SEND US YOUR PICTURES! Leave them on our Facebook Wall! Tweet them to us! Email them! Google+ if you have it! Anything. We want to see what you are doing.

Destiny Carter (top) and Margot Silk Forrest are the mad scientists and creative geniuses behind Sassy Feet, the DIY craft site about transforming ordinary shoes and bags into wearable art. For their story, click here.

WHY "GLITTER SWEATSHOP"?

As you might know, we invented a glitter glaze that works on leather, manmade leather and fabric. It comes with a bottle of paint base and a little packet of glitter. Now, someone has to open the big jars of glitter that come from the glitter elves and spoon just the right amount of each of the 21 colors into their packets. Being the head honcho, Margot is that someone. Problem is, she's not the tidiest person in the Western hemisphere and after 20 or so packets, there are a lot of microscopic (but fetchingly sparkly) particles of glitter in her hair, on her cheeks, and decorating her nose. One day someone came in during this process and remarked, "This place looks like a glitter sweatshop!"

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in these posts are “affiliate links.” This means that if you click on the link and decide to purchase the item, we will receive a very small commission. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we use personally and believe will add value to our readers' experience.